Resetting means for counters



June 26, 1923 RESETTING MEANS FOR COUNTERS Filed Aug. 16, 1917 7,1 /J MILES PER HOUR MV J D# Y U atented June 2d, 1923 UNIT FF'IC GEORGE W, TGNEY, 0F MSSACHUSETTS, sl-.SSEG-NTI, BY MESNE ASSGN= MENTS, T@ @LD CLQNY TRUST IMPANY, A @@FIPRATEN 0F MASSCEUSTTTS,

TRUSTEE.

EESETTE MEANS EGR @@U'llllEld Application filed August 16, 191?. Serial nro. @6,49%

To aZZ whom t may coi/wcm:

Be it known that I, Grenen ld. Toner, a citizen of the United States, residing at l/laltham, in the county of l\-l7altharn and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful lmprovements in Resetting Means for Counters, of which the following is a specification.

rl"l1e present invention relates to indica* tors and is designed particularly with refern -ence to odometers for the purpose of resetting the number disks which shovv the mileage of single trips, but is equally vvell applicable to all sorts of counters having number-carrying disks adapted to indicate the number of any sort ot quantities or oper ations. It is the object of the present invention to provide a re-setting means which can be operated by one hand of the user for both putting the number disks in condition for rre-setting and then resetting them, and is operative to perform this result Without shifting any vof the number disks from theirnormal locations and Without disturbing the connection between the unitindicating disk and the nent disk at the lett.

The invention consists in the combination hereinafter described and claimed, This combination is shown in connection with a combined odometer and speedometer designed for use with automobiles, and it is especially useful in that relation, but it is not limited thereto, or in any other naa-nner Ithan as indicated by the foregoing statement of the invention and by the appended claims. ln thefdravvings,

Figure 1 is a tace vievv of the instrument referred to.

Figure 2 is a sectional view enlarged on line 2--2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a similar vievv oi the parts wherein my 'invention particularly resides, such parts being in a dillerent position from that shown in Figure 2,.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

' In the drawings 11, 12, and 13 represent disks carrying on their peripheries a series of numerals, of which, in an odometer', the disk 11 usually represents tenths ot miles, the disk 12 represents miles and the disk 13 tens of miles; but since in other terms of counters correspondingly arranged disks indicate other values, and as in an f` odometer the disks are essentially units tens, and hundreds-indicating disks, t disk 11, 12, and 13 will be so designated the 'following description and claims. These disks constitute the indicator and are arranged, as usual, hack of a dial Which has an opening through Which only one or the figures on each disk is ordinarily visible at one time. The disk 11 is :formed in part as, or is connected to, a sleeve 14, which lits 1n a bushing 15, secured upon a post 16, While the other disks are mounted on a sleeve 1? secured at one end in a support 18 and fitting a drive shaft 19, which latter also passes through an opening in the center of the disk 11, by which it is supported. @n the shaft 19 is mounted and secured a collar 20 carrying a gear 21 by which the shat't is driven. Fixed to this shaft Within the sleeve 1d is a toothed clutch member 22 which co-acts with a complemental toothed clutch member 23 having sliding engagement with the sleeve lll, and thereby transmitting rotation to the latter and to the unit number disk 11. Clutch member 23 is normally held in engagement With the clutch member 22 by a spring 2d. Sleeve 1d is structurally a part ot the disk, and may be considered as an elongated hub, having a longitudinal socket large and deep enough to contain the clutch member 23 and the spring 24.

Rotation being imparted to the disk 11 by the means last described, is transmitted step by step to the disk 12, and from the latter to the disk .3 by earring Wheels 25 and 26 which are supporte in holders 2?, 28, respectively, lined upon the sleeve 1'?, and co-operating with gear elements on the hub portions ot the several disks in the manner common in intermittent carrying mechanisms used for counting apparatus. As my invention involves no modiication in the carrying mechanism l have not attempted to show the construction in detail ot' that here used, which is simply one of the forms which has alread long been in use.

lffhen it is desired to set the number disks in the Zero-indicating position, or in any other position tor that matter, it becomes necessary to disconnect the clutch members 22 and 23, and to rotate the disk 11, which is then independent or the driving shalt 19, in the desired manner. Both this disconnection and rotation are accomplished by manipulation of a setting crown 29 which is mounted upon a stem 30 occupying a bearing in a bracket 3l which extends outward from the case of the instrument,and is preferably so arranged that the crown `29 projects slightly beyond the. plane o r" the face of the instrument and its axis is approximately perpendicular to such plane. Stem 30 is movable endwise and is normally held to the limit of its outward movement, that is the position shown iii/Figure 3, by a spring 32 which surrounds the stem within the socket containing the latter and bearing against a shoulder 33 on the stem as shown. rl`he stop which limits outward movement ot the stein is constituted by the hub of a gear element 34- which is secured to the stem by a pin 35.

The gear element Slimeshes with a complemental gear element 36 which is secured by a screw stud 37 to the sleeve or hub ld or the disk li, whereby rotation or' the stem is adapted to rotate the dish when the clutch is disconnected. Within the hub 14; and passing through the gear 3S is a pusher 38 having its outer end beveled and its inner end `formed as a shell which passes over the clutch member 22 and bears against a shoulder 39 on the clutch member 23, the said pusher being adapted when pushed inward, that is to the lett with respect to the drawings, to displace the clutch member23 against the yielding resistance or the spring 24, and thus disconnect it from the member 22. The beveled end of the pusher coacts with -a'complemental bevel or cone portion 40 on the end of the stem 30 passing beyond the gear 3d.

4ln the normal position of the parts, which is that shown in Figure 3, thesetting stem andits crown are pushed outward, and so also is the pusher 38; the clutch 22, 23 being then connected, and the gears 34 and 36 being partly in mesh, or at least suiilciently so to be guided into complete mesh when the stem is displaced. lt is not necessary, however, that the gears should mesh at this time, for the invention is equally operative in a combination in which the gears are out of mesh in the normal position, but are suliciently pointed to slip correctly into mesh when brought together.

Now when it is desired to re-set the indicator, the crown is pushed inward and is then turned. The irst, or endwise movement of the stein so produced causes the beveled end d0 of the stein to slide upon and push nach the beveled end of the pusher, thereby disconnecting the clutch. At the same time the gears are brought into mesh if they were not previously in mesh, and rotation or the crown then turns the stem, in either direction, according to the direction of rotation of the crown. Disk l1 is thus directly turned, and movement is transmitted therefrom to the other disks, as in the usual operation, through the carrying mechanisms. On account of the necessity of the stem and pusher to engage properly in all positions, their beveled ends are made of conical form, either as tapered points or frusta of cones.

, A new result of special importance accomplished by the herein described mechanism is that, not only is the ire-setting mechanism put in condition for operation by manipulation of the device which re-sets the indicator, but this result is accomplished without shifting the unit-indicator and therefore without breaking the connection between the same and the nent indicator, whereby it is impossible for this or any other of the disks to become displaced from its correct relation to 'the others. rl`he importance oie this result reside-s in the tact that in mechanisms of the sort in ywhich disconnection oi' the unit disk from the driving shaft is made by shitting the disk bodily, the connection between this disk and the next one or" the series is broken and it becomes possible then to so place the tens disk upon' reconnecting it with the next one, that the number which it presents to view is out of the line with thc exposed numbers of the otherdislrs. Such disalinement of any ot the disks is impossible in the combination here described.

lWhat .l claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. iin indicator comprising a series of rotatable number disks, driving slalt0 a clutch element associated with said shaft, a complemental clutch element having a sliding but non-rotative engagement with the units disk of said series, a shifter engaged with said complemental clutch element and protruding;- from one end ot said series and having an inclined impelling surface, said complemental clutch element find shifter .icing arranged to effect uncoupling of the clutch by inward movement of the shifter, an eiidwise and rotatably movable setting stem arranged at an angle tothe axis of said disks having a part arranged to act the impelling surface of the shifter for causing uncoupling of the clutch elements when moved in one direction, and transmission gearing between said setting stem and said units disk operable at such time to effect rotation of said units disk when the stern is rotated.

2. The combination with number-exhibiting disks and a drive shatt, of a. clutch member connected to said drive shaft, a comp-lemental clutch member connected to said unit disk in a manner permitting atrial displacement, a rotatable 1 ifi mov'- endwise able setting device, interin shingconnected to said device and said unit disk for rotating the latter when the setting device is rotated, and a pusher engaged with said device and movable by endwise movement thereofto disconnect the second named clutch member from the rst named clutch member. l

3. The combination with a number-exhibiting counter disk and a drive shaft, said disk being relatively immovable axially of the shaft, of a clutch member connected with said disk and movable axially thereof into and out of connection with the shaft, an actuator engaged with said member for so moving it, a setting device extending at an angle to said drive shaft and having means for moving said actuator thus to shift said clutch member, and mechanism by which said setting device is operable at the same time to rotate said disk.

4. In a counter the combination with a number-exhibiting disk of a driving shaft passing through said disk and carrying a clutch member adj aoent to the end thus passing through, a com lemental clutch member between said clutc member and the disk movable axially ofthe shaft into and out of en agement With the first clutch member and aving rotation-transmitting connection with the disk, a usher constructed as a to said stem and disk, respectively, adapted to be intermeshed for rotating the disk by rotation of the stem.

5. A rotatable number indicator, a shaft, a clutch element on said shaft near its end, a complemental clutch element on said shaft more remote from its end than the first clutch element connected to said numn ber indicator but being movable longitudinally of the shaft, a clutch actuator embracing and passing the first clutch element being engaged with the second clutch element, a rotatable and axially displaceable setting device and gearing carried by said setting device and number indicator for transmitting rotation from the former to the latter, the setting device and clutch actuator having adjacent complemental contacting surfaces disposed to cause disengagement of the clutch members by said actuator when the setting device is so displaced.

6t In a counting mechanism having a se ries of related counter disks, a shaft coaxial therewith for driving the same, a disconnectible clutch between said shaft and the units disk of said series, a clutch disconnector separate from the shaft arranged coaX- ially with the disks and having an accessibleprotruding end, being adapted to disconnect said clutch when its protruding end is pushed inwardly, and means for so moving said disconnector whereby to make the units disk free for independent rotation and resetting.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature.

GEORGE W. TONEY. 

